Mildura Rural City Councillor for Recreation and Events Mark Eckel has highlighted the success of the Penrite Hattah Desert Race as the iconic event prepares to mark its 25th anniversary this weekend.
"The Hattah Desert Race is one of the biggest and most successful annual events in our region, attracting thousands of visitors each year and injecting millions into our local economy," Cr Eckel said.
"As is often the case in our region, there is a dedicated local club responsible for this success, in this case its thanks to the tireless efforts of the North West Victorian Motorcycle Club."
Cr Eckel said the event was now one of the most popular and sought-after off-road events in the country, evidenced by the fact the more than 800 available race entries are now snapped up in just seconds once they open.
"This is a credit to the North West Victorian Motorcycle Club members, who over the years would have donated hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours to make the event what it is today," he said.
"From a Council perspective, it's been a real privilege to be able to partner with the Club on many of those events through our Events Funding and Support Grants Program, including this year's 25th anniversary event."
As a Hallmark event, the Penrite Hattah Desert Race has received $50,000 through Council's Events Funding and Support Grant program for this year's race.
"If you consider this from a 'value for money' perspective, I think you'd agree, the $50,000 Council contributes to the event is ratepayers' money well spent when you consider the millions of dollars this fantastic event generates for our region each year," Cr Eckel said.
Hattah Desert Race Committee Chair Murray Follett highlighted the role volunteers have played in the event's 25-year success story.
"Volunteers have been at the very heart of the race since its inception 25 years ago, and it's a major focus for us this year – making sure we recognise their contribution throughout the journey," Murray said.
"When we restarted the event in its current form in 1998 there would have been roughly 200 volunteer hours that went into making it happen.
With the amazing growth the event has undergone, it now takes upward of 30,000 volunteer hours, which is a massive effort."
The Committee Chair highlighted the involvement of other local sporting and community clubs which were now part of the event.
"The Nangiloc Football Netball Club is a prime example," Murray said.
"The club provides us with a large group of volunteers each year, who serve an important role in making the event happen. This in turn has become their club's major fundraiser for the year, so it's great to be able to give back to the clubs who help us out. We couldn't do it without them.
"And it's a similar story with the Red Cliffs and Irymple Football Netball Clubs, and the Mildura Lions Club among others. In total we now inject about $60,000 back into local sporting and community groups, which is a great way for the broader community to benefit from the success of the race."
The Penrite Hattah Desert Race weekend starts on Friday night from 3pm with scrutineering and sign-on at Red Cliffs' Quandong Park, which also serves as the popular show-and-shine for spectators, who also have the opportunity to meet the riders.
The first of the race action starts on Saturday morning with the Junior Hattah Desert Race Prologue and race followed by the Senior Prologue.
The main race is held on Sunday from 9am.
